Guest Column: A Better Strategy for Addressing Jails During a Pandemic



The Victoria Advocate- For better or worse, catastrophes offer opportunities one would never have under normal circumstances. Or as politician Rahm Emanuel often says, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” This concept has been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, as bail reform advocates push for the release of large numbers of the jail population on the grounds of compassion.

Over the last month, reformers have bullied elected officials with threats of litigation unless their demands for large-scale release were met. Advocates have even taken the offensive, asking federal courts to order the release of inmates through the filing of lawsuits. But their urgency may well be misplaced. According to a recent Reuter’s story, 96 percent of the inmate population that tested positive for the coronavirus in Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia jails showed no symptoms.

The COVID-19 crisis cannot be treated as some sort of “get-out-of-jail-free card.” 

To see more CLICK HERE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read Posts Over The Last 30 Days

Right on Crime- Going rogue: How Radical, Reformist Prosecutors Are Endangering Public Safety

Image
  Going Rogue:  How Radical, Reformist Prosecutors Are Endangering Public Safety by Ross Jackson Despite decades of bipartisan criminal justice reform and declining national crime rates, several U.S. cities have experienced increases in crime under the leadership of rogue prosecutors who abuse their discretion by refusing to enforce laws they disagree with and instead pursue lenient charges against violent criminals. These district and county attorneys implement formal or informal non-prosecution policies that violate their sworn duties, under-mine the rule of law, and erode public trust in the justice system. Data from the FBI indicates that during the tenure of these prosecutors, occurrences of several major crimes, such as murder and aggravated assault, rose. The crime rates in cities like Austin, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis illustrate correlations between the implementation of reformist prosecutorial policies and some rises in violent and property crime (FBI, n.d.). Stat...
Read more

What is the Response of the Activists to the Increasing Failure to Appears As A Result of Simple Release Mechanisms Such as Person Bonds?

Image
What has been the Response of the Activists to the Increasing Numbers of Failures to Appear as a Result of the Simple Release Measures that they Push? There is a growing amount of data that now documents that the release measures pushed by the activists are damaging public safety.  In Texas, there is the Report of the Houston Police Officers Union that reviewed a weeks worth of data for the misdemeanor courts using almost all personal bonds and they found a failure to appear rate of over 75%.  To see more CLICK HERE .  Houston Court Watch complied two years worth of data using the same formulas and found an average failure to appear rate of over 83%.  To see more CLICK HERE . Over time other states and issued reports that confirm these shocking numbers.  The Cook County Illinois Clerk issued a report saying that the failures to appear for individuals released on simple release were over 70%.  The Yolo County District attorney appeared on a podcast saying th...
Read more

Studies Demonstrate Recidivism Rates Increase Using Simple Release

Image
DCJ Study A new study of bail reform outside New York City — suburbs and upstate — prepared by John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Data Collaborative for Justice shows that 66% of the people released under bail reform who had a recent prior arrest were re-arrested within two years of their release. The DCJ study also showed that 67% of defendants who had a recent prior violent felony arrest in the past year who were released under bail reform were re-arrested within two years of their arraignment. Almost half — 49% — were rearrested for a felony.  The fact that a study shows that people who have committed crimes tend to continue to commit more crimes is not really surprising. My analysis of bail reform published by the Manhattan Institute in August of 2022 showed NYC re-arrest rates of close to 70% for people with prior records charged with larceny, burglary, robbery, and criminal contempt while their case was pending. But DCJ is no conservative think tank. On the contrary, they...
Read more

Celebrating the Life of Longtime Bondsman Ricky Wade

Image
Ricky Lane Wade, born April 16, 1953, in Shelbyville, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025, in Dallas, Texas. He was 72.   Ricky was the son of Vernon Wade and Mary Tipton (Harper), and a proud graduate of Shelbyville High School. He built a long and respected career in the bail bonds industry, working to establish both A Way-Out Bail Bonds and Just Bail Bonds. His commitment to his profession led him to become an active member of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas, where he was known for his unwavering honesty and bold personality—Ricky never had a filter and never backed down from speaking the truth. He is survived by his devoted wife, Jeanie Wade; two beloved stepdaughters, Crystal Padgett and Jennifer Beck; grandchildren Brett Estrada and wife Layla, Jezzica Polk and husband Brendan, Evan Beck, and Parker Beck; and one cherished great-granddaughter, Aurora Estrada; and nephew Kyle Tipton and wife Carolyn. Ricky also leaves behind his brothers Greg Tipton and Ve...
Read more

Episode No. 75- All Hat and No Cattle- Digging Into Pseudo Studies Issued by Activist Groups with Guest Eric Granof

Image
How do you navigate the space in the bail reform debate when law enforcement and activists seem to be arguing contrary positions.  One example is the debate over defunding the police.  A study that was highlighted on Episode No. 71 of our podcast demonstrated that defunding the police increases crime immediately not only in the area that the police are removed from but the surrounding area as well.   Also, taking the police out of the community resulted in litigation that resulted in judgments against the city totaling over $32 million dollars. Nevertheless, activists continue to argue that defunding the police will actually make communities safer. How do we navigate between these two positions.  When activists have flooded google with pseudo studies that defy common sense how do we debunk them and find the real science? This is the subject of this episode of The Bail Post. Audio Podcast- Also available on- Apple Podcasts-          ...
Read more

Stories by Topic:

Show more